#21: A 7-magnitude earthquake in Charleston, The Peachoid's cameo on House of Cards, and a rare SC wildflower
For South Carolina history lovers far and wide! Enjoy weekly SC history and upcoming SC historical events
Dear reader,
Welcome to Newsletter #21 of The South Carolina History Newsletter! I’m so happy you’re here.
Welcome “aaronbaldwin8” “bmalunat” “pearcefarm2” to our SC History Newsletter community! Woohoo!
I hope you enjoy today’s newsletter, and as always, please feel free to reply to this email with your ideas and suggestions on South Carolina history you’d like to learn more about. I’m only a click away.
Additionally, please join us & keep the conversation going by becoming a member of our SC History Newsletter Facebook Community here! I can’t wait to meet you.
And now, let’s learn some South Carolina history!
Yours truly,
Kate
(Writing from Greenville, SC)
3 ➳ Upcoming SC History Events
While I have curated the following 3 events below to feature in today’s newsletter, please click here to visit my SC History Events Calendar that organizes all the events I have featured in the newsletter to date, as well as others I have discovered. Please let me know if you’d like to add an event to the list! Reply to this email or send me a note at schistorynewsletter@gmail.com.
I.
March 5-28, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Tuesday-Saturday | “Horry County Museum: 30th Annual Quilt Gala 2024” | Horry County Museum | Conway, SC | FREE & Open to the public
“Join us for the 30th Annual Quilt Gala at the Horry County Museum March 5th-28th! The Museum will display quilts made by our local Quilts of Valor groups. Each week, new quilts will be on display that will be awarded to local veterans in a special ceremony. The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation (QOVF) is to cover all service members and veterans, touched by war, with a comforting and healing quilt. Since 2003, the Foundation, now a national organization, has awarded over 370,000 quilts across the United States.
In addition to the quilts on display, there will be a variety of programming at the Museum & Farm throughout the month. Scheduled programs include featured quilters discussing topics from cherished quilts to historic block patterns, Christmas quilts, and more! We’ll also have indigo and embroidery workshops for beginners. Participants will have the chance to win door prizes at every program!”
II.
Saturday, March 9th from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm | “Blacksmithing 101” | Hagood Mill Historic Site | Pickens, SC | $120 per person
“In this introduction to blacksmithing, students will learn the basic working knowledge of blacksmithing with historical demonstrator Kevin Thompson of Electric City Forge. Students will have the opportunity to make items such as simple s-hooks and wall hooks.
Students will learn the five basic techniques of blacksmithing which includes the drawing out, tapering, bending, scrolling and twisting of steel, in addition to basic finishing techniques.
Students will also learn about safety in the blacksmith shop, history of the craft of blacksmithing, the fuel and materials used in blacksmithing, and how to build, maintain and use a coal fire.”
III.
Saturday, March 16th from 10:00 am - 3:00 pm | “11th Annual Bellfest 2024” | Devil’s Fork State Park | Salem, SC | FREE & Open to the public
“Friends of Jocasse (FOJ) celebrates spring in the Jocassee Gorges by showcasing the rare Oconee Bell flower [one of the rarest wildflowers in the United States and native to SC], which blooms along the Oconee Bell Trail. Hike the trail to hear the story about its interesting place in history from the Upstate Master Naturalist Association or listen to our featured guest speaker. There will also be a scavenger hunt & geocache on the trail. Find even more kid activities at various exhibitors. Rick Huffman, guest speaker, is the founder of Earth Design Landscaping & Ecological Architecture. He will relay his knowledge of the acquisition of the Jocassee Gorges and the importance of the Oconee Bell in that story."
Here’s a short historical video below about the Oconee Bells:
2 ➳ SC History Fun Facts
I.
Did you know that in 1886, Charleston experienced one of the most powerful and damaging earthquakes to ever hit the east coast of the United States?
On August 31st, 1886 at 9:50 pm, one of the worst natural disasters in South Carolina history occurred. A 7-magnitude earthquake struck Charleston, and while it only lasted about 45 seconds, it caused $5-$6 million worth of damage ($179.14 million in today’s dollars) to over 2,000 buildings and killed 60 individuals.
In an eye witness account, Carl McKinley (a local writer & journalist) wrote in his book The Charleston earthquake of August 31, 1886:
The long roll deepened and spread into an awful roar, that seemed to pervade at once the troubled earth and the still air above and around. The tremor was now a rude, rapid quiver, that agitated the whole lofty, strong-walled building as though it were being shaken--shaken by the hand of an immeasurable power, with intent to tear its joints asunder and scatter its stones and bricks abroad, as a tree casts its over-ripened fruit before the breath of the gale.
The shock of the earthquake was felt as far as Boston, and the event was so severe that there was “speculation that the Florida peninsula had broken away from North America.”
Here are some photos of the damage from the earthquake:
Of the damage done to Charleston’s buildings, 81% of the damage was done to brick buildings. Wooden houses fared much better. In the aftermath of the earthquake, many builders introduced “earthquake bolts” to existing unreinforced masonry buildings to add support to the structures and to avoid having to demolish these buildings due to instability. Here is a photograph of an earthquake bolt below.
It was been researched that if an earthquake “of this size were to occur in the same place today, it would result in approximately $20 billion of loss just in South Carolina, and approximately 900 deaths and 44,000 injuries.” Thankfully, earthquakes of this size are very rare and only happen every 500-600 years!
II.
Did you know that Gaffney’s “Peachoid” water tower was featured in the Netflix series House of Cards?
A famous landmark we’ve all seen (and perhaps shaken our heads at) as we drive on I-85 between exits 90-92…behold, The Peachoid! The Peachoid is a 135 foot water tower, in Gaffney, South Carolina that was built in the shape of a giant peach. Constructed in 1981 by the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company, the Gaffney Board of Public Works chose a peach shape because (1) the Gaffney economy was then largely dependent upon peach orchards and (2) because South Carolina wanted to make it clear to our neighboring state, Georgia, that in reality, South Carolina grows more peaches per year than Georgia does. Since its construction, The Peachoid has been a source of tourism to Gaffney, but the additional attention has forced the city to erect a wall around the base of the structure to prevent vandalism.
The Peachoid is such a beloved yet controversial South Carolina landmark that it even landed in an episode of House of Cards on Netflix with Kevin Spacey. In the scene below, Spacey’s character, politician Frank Underwood, is embroiled in a scandal involving a teen driver who was distracted by suggestive shape of The Peachoid…
1 ➳ Quote from an SC historical figure
I.
“When you see the crack right here going down the interstate, you'll see that's one of the first things you'll see, and people say it's a baby's butt with a rash."
—Gaffney native Leonard Wyatt, commenting on the Peachoid
Sources used in today’s newsletter:
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